Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson (left) and CARE House board member Beckie Francis have their picture taken before the start of the CARE House Circle of Friends luncheon at the Townsend Hotel, Wednesday January 29, 2014. (Vaughn Gurganian-The Oakland Press)

Officers honored during CARE House luncheon

Officer Rick Trabulsy, West Bloomfield

Det. Kristine Shuler, Troy

Det. Lt. Scott Sarvello, Clawson

Det. Janeen Gielniak, Hazel Park

Deputy Chief Corey Haines, Madison Heights

Sgt. Mark Boody, Novi

Det. Jody Kendrick, Oakland County Sheriff’s Office

Lt. Wendy Reyes, OCSO

Deputy Jason Dalbec, OCSO

Deputy Kim Potts, OCSO

Det. Ronald Tuski, Auburn Hills

Lt. David Clemens, Royal Oak

Det. Autumn Ceci, Southfield

Det. Mike Pieroni, Southfield

Officer Corey Donberger, Bloomfield Township

Sgt. Jon Haupt, Farmington Hills

Det. Heather Wolkow, Holly

BIRMINGHAM >> A packed ballroom at the Townsend Hotel celebrated the work of the county’s advocacy center for abused and neglected children during a fundraiser luncheon Wednesday afternoon.

Gov. Rick Snyder and John Walsh, former host of the television show “America’s Most Wanted”, were featured speakers during the event, which benefited Pontiac-based CARE House of Oakland County.

CARE House’s mission is “to be a leading resource in the prevention of child abuse and neglect, and the protection of children through advocacy, education, intervention, research and treatment, in collaboration with the community,” according to its website.

Snyder said the state has “made a massive investment to do better by our children.”

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More than 700 people have been added to the state workforce to examine welfare issues, Snyder said. There’s also been a focus on safe sleep for newborns, bullying prevention and early childhood education. He said mental health is “one of the areas we can continue to do better on.”

In addition to helping CARE House, Wednesday’s event was “a very positive way to say this isn’t just about CARE House,” Snyder said.

“This is a place to bring people together to simply say we care about our kids, that we’ve done good work, but we can use relentless positive action to do even more good work.”

He added that Oakland County “is a role model for many of our counties,” in part because of “important services” like CARE House.

Walsh said Michigan ranked below the national average for child abuse in 2006 but is now 50 percent above the average. He believes that number is due to better reporting rather than an increase in abuse.

“You’re out kicking butt,” Walsh said.

“CARE House makes it work. They make it to the point where the guy can get prosecuted and go away where he belongs in jail and serve his time.”

Walsh’s son, Adam, was abducted and murdered more than three decades ago.

Walsh said times are tough in many ways in this country.

“If anybody in America thinks they can’t be a crime victim tomorrow, or this afternoon, they’re crazy,” he said.

He also said “fathers in America have basically evaporated” and “this economy brings out the worst in people.”

Walsh said “America’s Most Wanted” aided in the capture of more than 1,200 criminals worldwide. He was awarded an Emmy for excellence in television for his work with the show. “The thing I’m most proud of is we recovered 60 missing children,” he said.

“Maybe we’ll go down in history as the first reality television program, but the Prostitute Housewives of Whatever County or Honey Boo Boo is not reality television.”

“America’s Most Wanted” is no longer on the air, but Walsh said he is pitching an international show to CNN.